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Topic: Mertov's Tennis Desk (Read 12462 times)

Euroka, although I give Ferrer little over a zero chance to even win a set from Nadal, you have crossed my mind often as he zipped through player after player each round. He may go down as one of the most underrated guys to ever get into top 5. He walks by the crowd sometimes here and hardly anybody notices him Tommy Robredo was like this too when he was top 10, he was a regular citizen walking on the grounds as far as every crosspasser is concerned..The crowd was ready to explode and get totally behind Tsonga at 5-4 set point, but it did not happen. Had he won that set, who knows, they may still be playing now!Monstertruck, that is kind of how I feel too.. On to the grass.

I was looking forward to your 10th instalment, Mertov. Both parts are full of thought provoking points / insights as usual! Thanks.

I agree that Ferrer has little chance of beating Nadal, but this observation of yours might, if he follows through, make it more of a contest. One can hope! :

“”””Perhaps the most telling statistic of the match is the number of times the players came to the net. If anyone said before the match that the match would consist of backcourt rallies, everyone would have most likely given the edge to Ferrer. Tsonga’s chances would increase as he would force the point with aggressive shots or even attack the net. Not only did Tsonga not get aggressive, but he was actually too passive. David Ferrer, one of the ultimate baseliners on the ATP Tour, came to the net 20 times through the match, five times more than Tsonga!”””””

And your assessment of the Nadal / Djokovic sf is an excellent reminder of why Nadal is so formidable and effective, even when playing under pressure.

Enjoy the ladies bot finals won'y you! The Bryans too are in the final ( surprise, surprise! ) Much as I like & admire them, I'm supporting Llodra / Mahut as the underdogs!

Euroka, although I give Ferrer little over a zero chance to even win a set from Nadal, you have crossed my mind often as he zipped through player after player each round. He may go down as one of the most underrated guys to ever get into top 5. He walks by the crowd sometimes here and hardly anybody notices him Tommy Robredo was like this too when he was top 10, he was a regular citizen walking on the grounds as far as every crosspasser is concerned..The crowd was ready to explode and get totally behind Tsonga at 5-4 set point, but it did not happen. Had he won that set, who knows, they may still be playing now!Monstertruck, that is kind of how I feel too.. On to the grass.

Indeed, the crowd tension came across on TV at that point in the match.

I don't care what he's done in quarterfinals, or even after he beat Rafa to reach the final of AO, when this dute gets in a valley during a big match, he stays.

If you want to go all the way back to his AO final, he took the first set off Djokovic and made a world of believers. Then he hit the valley of no return...completely flat...and lost the next 3 sets. Hasn't delivered following a big win ever. It's not about the game, it's a matter of heart and mind.

I don't care what he's done in quarterfinals, or even after he beat Rafa to reach the final of AO, when this dute gets in a valley during a big match, he stays.

If you want to go all the way back to his AO final, he took the first set off Djokovic and made a world of believers. Then he hit the valley of no return...completely flat...and lost the next 3 sets. Hasn't delivered following a big win ever. It's not about the game, it's a matter of heart and mind.

I have to confess that I enjoyed watching the whole of the men's final. The outcome was always clear, which to some extent meant that one could relax and appreciate the tennis. The only thing that annoyed me was the guy who ran onto the court and temporarily disrupted the game. It must be scary if you are a player .

Hello Mertov. I just went to have a look at your blog, and found this article. I thought it was an excellent take on some issues that show how positive changes have come about for the lower ranked players.

Wimbledon 1913 and 2013 in Men’s Tennis: Pioneers of a Century Ago and Today

One of the many surprises during Wimbledon’s first week was the defeat of the defending champion Roger Federer at the hands of the Ukrainian Sergiy Stakhovsky. The 116-ranked Stakhovsky, who has never before reached third round at Wimbledon in his career, ended perhaps the most impressive record in tennis, Federer’s streak of getting to the quarterfinals or better, 36 Slams in succession. While millions around the world viewed this match, very few of them knew that the two players have been involved in a major battle that lasted over 15 months on a different platform – and this time not as adversaries but rather side by side – one that will prove to be much more important for the development of the sport than their 4-set encounter on that Thursday afternoon. .....

Great stuff as usual Mertov.Nice to know the ATP players are making some headway.I can't imagine what some of these lower ranked players go through just to make a living.

Alex, I thought Wimby this year was a bit messy and didn't provide as many quality matches (at least what I saw) as usual. Nice to see tennis history made with Andy (not Roddick) finally lifting the cup and I'm sure his fans are super excited as well. I was hoping you might have the inside scoop on Nole's apparent let down in the final. Aside from the fact that Murray played better of course.

Great stuff as usual Mertov.Nice to know the ATP players are making some headway.I can't imagine what some of these lower ranked players go through just to make a living.

Alex, I thought Wimby this year was a bit messy and didn't provide as many quality matches (at least what I saw) as usual. Nice to see tennis history made with Andy (not Roddick) finally lifting the cup and I'm sure his fans are super excited as well. I was hoping you might have the inside scoop on Nole's apparent let down in the final. Aside from the fact that Murray played better of course.

AR ... miss him ... people call him a serve bot ... He was "fine on clay" .... people forget things

Great stuff as usual Mertov.Nice to know the ATP players are making some headway.I can't imagine what some of these lower ranked players go through just to make a living.

Alex, I thought Wimby this year was a bit messy and didn't provide as many quality matches (at least what I saw) as usual. Nice to see tennis history made with Andy (not Roddick) finally lifting the cup and I'm sure his fans are super excited as well. I was hoping you might have the inside scoop on Nole's apparent let down in the final. Aside from the fact that Murray played better of course.

AR ... miss him ... people call him a serve bot ... He was "fine on clay" .... people forget things

Perhaps on the surface that's how he appeared to some fans.I always appreciated his lunch pail ethic and straight shooter approach.His attitude got a little pissy at times, but hey, we all now what that's like, ehhhh?

I don't care what he's done in quarterfinals, or even after he beat Rafa to reach the final of AO, when this dute gets in a valley during a big match, he stays.

If you want to go all the way back to his AO final, he took the first set off Djokovic and made a world of believers. Then he hit the valley of no return...completely flat...and lost the next 3 sets. Hasn't delivered following a big win ever. It's not about the game, it's a matter of heart and mind.

Bud, I watched that match many times. Novak lost the first set by one silly lob, but Djokovic was on fire the whole 2008 AO. nobody, not even mighty Fed was able to do anything about Djoko.

Tsonga's biggest problem is that he is prone to injuries and he is can't move as well as the top guys. It's too bad because he is so talented. tennis become so physical.